NXNE 2014: Day 1 Recap
June 19th, 2014
While North By Northeast 2014 has actually been underway since last weekend, Wednesday marked the start of the festival’s stacked music schedule. With the official start of summer just a few days away, you can definitely feel a buzz brewing around the downtown core. Well, perhaps that’s a bit easier for me to say, as my NXNE experience kicked off traveling around Queen St on the Mio Squirtcar with Nu-Funk act Har Mar Superstar. It’s not everyday that you hear live music blaring out of streetcar windows, and such a situation inspired many onlookers to whip out their phones and snap a pic as we drove by. It was a pretty cool concept and an event that frontman Patrick Tillman joked was a dream of his coming to life.
After being dropped off at McCaul St, I made my over to the Budweiser Music House (aka The Horseshoe Tavern) just in time to catch charming folk act Mutual Benefit. Judging by the crowds involvement, it seems they were still coming down from the high energy set from Toronto’s The Oooh Baby Gimme More’s (OBGM’s). Band leader Jordan Lee seemed very surprised and humbled by the excitement the crowd was giving off.
The gorgeous melodies of @mutual_benefit welcome us to #NXNE2014 at #BudMusicHouse. pic.twitter.com/BMUZCMjTLZ
— 4479 (@4479Toronto) June 19, 2014
Next stop of the night was Mio House (aka The Hoxton). While I thought I was showing up a bit early to catch Jacques Greene, it seemed the Montreal-based DJ already had the place moving. Thanks to the variety NXNE has at every hour of the festival, The Hoxton was at a perfect capacity for people to enjoy their space and dance to his blend of electronic and R&B. Despite what the photo below might show and as cool as it would have been to see, Jacques was not abducted by a UFO following his performance.
Greene’s dance party was the perfect lead-in to the special Red Bull Sound Select secret show. While the act remained unannounced on the poster, news began to swirl that Sleigh Bells, who play Yonge Dundas Square tonight, were the surprise guests. At around 1:15am, Alexis Krauss and Derek Edward Miller took the intimate Tattoo stage and for the next hour tore through the eardrums of anyone who neglected to bring earplugs. Once a mosh pit ensued, the energy from the crowd inspired Krauss to get as intimate as she could. For a band that’s used to playing massive festival sets these days, it was truly special seeing them enjoy the tiny space and interact on a personal level with their die-hard fans.
I have to admit, Day 1 was pretty amazing and I’m still baffled this all happened on a Wednesday. Day 2 should be even cooler, as I hope to step aboard the Vice Island ferry to see what sort of festivities they’ve got planned. Stay tuned!
Words & Photos by Bram Gonshor
